Homemade Robots: 10 Simple Bots to Build with Stuff Around the House Paperback – August 13, 2021

I adore the fresh originality and creativity infused in these projects. This book is a treasure chest brimming with MacGyver-esque prowess, transforming mundane items into whimsical robots. My absolute favorite aspect is the ingenious creativity Randy injects into the mindset of problem-solving, a flair that would surely earn a nod of approval from MacGyver himself!

If you’re looking to inspire the next robotics engineer, look no further than Homemade Robots. This book explores how to make easy to build robots, all from inexpensive electrical components and everyday household items. No prior knowledge of electronics is required!With clear pictures and easy to follow directions, you’ll work through progressively more technical builds, exploring new ways to make robots move like crawling, wobbling, rolling, and inch-worming all over your floor.Homemade Robots does a great job of showing how a wide variety of tabletop robots can be built, but the real secret of this book is giving you the confidence to modify the builds to suit what you may have on hand.This book is a perfect entry to everyone that has wanted to get into electronics, and the concepts taught can be widely applied to projects outside of the simple robots found in this book. Homemade Robots will give you the courage to step out into the world and unleash new ideas inspired by the creations found inside.

This book is an antidote to the idea that robotics is a rich kid hobby. If you or your kid are interested in making moving toys and robot critters, the projects in this book cut right to the chase. There’s no programming. No kits to buy. And no expectation that you have to make some “perfect” thing.Speaking as someone who actually enjoys robotics as a hobby (as a non-engineer), Randy’s approach here seems much closer to the kind of trial and error of my own process.For my stuff, it’s a lot of zip ties, mismatched bolts, and makeshift bits from the junk drawer (at least for initial prototypes). Once I get a working concept going, then I can revise it with machined parts and specialized 3D printed assemblies -- but the real thrill comes from making that first, improvised prototype. The fact that they’re made from junk only heightens how miraculous it is that they work at all.If you want to get someone hooked on robotics and electronics, give them the thrill of making their first bot from junk. Those pricey kits are fine, but they end up being more like puzzles or building Ikea furniture. There’s not a lot that you can take away from them and apply elsewhere, aside from confidence in your ability to follow directions.These bots are fun. They invite creativity. They’re cheap enough that you can risk going off script and maybe break a $2 part. But most of all, once you realize that you can use your new electronic skills to magically animate a pair of dollar store scrub brushes, everything around you becomes pregnant with possibility.Robots aren’t something you buy from the robot store. They’re something closer to a baking recipe -- a mix of common ingredients, basic tools, and a few rules of thumb that you can play with.It’s a great book. It clearly communicates to absolute beginners. The projects are all accessible and achievable. Even if you just build one, I believe that you (or your kid) will love that ugly thing more than any pre-made kit bot.-Donald Bell (Maker Project Lab)

This was a great gift for my 10 year old nephew. He loved it and I am now his favorite aunt!